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Hi all,
 
Though perhaps not of interest for those on the other (left side? of the
pond).  I wrote down some thoughts about the three main sources of food
celiacs use. I will deal with them in three separate postings.
 
-     Foods labeled as "gluten free", with or without GF symbol.
-     Foods from a gluten free shopping list
-     Foods which do not fall within the above categories
 
With respect to the second category:
 
   There is a lot of controversy regarding the use of databases vs. more
adequate labeling in dealing with allergies and so on.
 
   Though many patients societies opt for more adequate labeling, for the
time being an allergy database seems to be a nice compromise.  There are
however a number of drawbacks which I should like to deal with explaining
the Dutch situation.  Data for our gluten free shopping list are collected
by our national allergy database ALBA which is subsidized by the Dutch
Government.  Food producers are asked to send in detailed data regarding
the composition of their food products with respect to many known
allergens, gluten included, and these data are compiled and published
periodically (a one year base) by our national information center on food
hypersensitivity's (LIVO).  These data even can be "personalized, i.e.
several list may be combined into one list 'tailored" to the needs of the
allergy patient.  A drawbacks is that there is only one issue a year, and
by consequence in-between changes in food composition will not be available
until a year later.  A further (and major) problem which limits the value
of these lists is that participation in the system is on a voluntary basis.
So the list only comprises a selection of all foods available.
 
   The most serious problem is however that nobody knows about the fidelity
of these lists.  If a regulatory food control agency would plan to check
these lists for trueness and eventually would try to bring a suit against a
producer for inadvertently having put his foods on the list, the list would
probably evaporate.  Producers fear to be sued for product liability.  So
this all is a very fragile business and may be regarded as a certain kind
of service from the producers to some consumers (and celiacs).  There is
not much sales volume to gain for them as the number of celiacs is low.
Unless the system can be made compulsory, there will always remain doubts
about the level of confidence one can have in these lists.
 
Frederik Willem Janssen, Zutphen, The Netherlands